Different versions of battery packs supplying energy to hand-held devices are known, for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,112,299; 5,814,044; or U.S. Patent Applications Nos. 2004/0092992 and U.S. 2008/0065001, all of which are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety herein for all purposes. When operating a hand-held device, a user may want to manipulate a light-weight device. This is especially imperative when a user operates the device for prolonged time, such as a surgeon operating a medical hand-held device utilized during surgery. The problem is that such devices have batteries located in their housing; therefore adding weight to the housing, thus adding extra weight a surgeon has to hold in his or her hand while operating the device.
Additionally, a user of a hand-held device powered by a battery pack located outside of the housing may want to keep the battery pack in a certain distance and away from the floor or other surfaces, such as a surgeon may need to ensure that the battery pack does not compromise the sterile environment around a patient in the operating room. Therefore, the user of the device may want the battery pack to be lightweight, portable, and remote from the device. The problem is that the known battery packs located outside of the housing supplying energy to hand-held devices are bulky as they house additional mechanisms, such as a recharging mechanism, which requires setting of the battery pack on the floor or other surface which may compromise sterility around the patient.
Further still, a user of a hand-held device, such as an electrosurgical hand-held device, powered by a battery pack located outside of the housing may need to connect the hand-held device to a functional system, such as a generator or an irrigation device. Therefore, if a user needs to connect the device to a generator or an irrigation system, a cable containing electrosurgical lead wires or an irrigation line leading from the device to a generator or an irrigation system is needed.
Therefore, there is need for a battery pack supplying energy to a functioning portion of a hand-held device which would be located outside of the device's housing; thus reducing weight of the hand-held portion of the device. Additionally, there is a need for a battery pack remote from the device which would allow a user of the device to keep the sterile environment around a patient in the operating room. Finally, there is a need for a system utilizing a battery pack which transmits electrical energy from the battery pack to the handpiece, and such a system also allows a user of the device to connect the handpiece to another functioning system, such as a generator or an irrigation system.